Autoclaves are commonly used in a variety of industries to apply heat and pressure to parts or other objects. For example, in the aircraft industry, an autoclave may be used to cure fiber reinforced composite parts. Autoclaves are typically cylindrically shaped, insulated steal tanks that are sized to accommodate the largest part that is expected to be processed. As the size of the autoclave increases, particularly in diameter, the cost of manufacturing the autoclave may increase substantially, thus creating a practical limitation on the manufactured size of the autoclaves. In some applications, the autoclave may be larger than is required to process a particular part or group of parts, resulting in unused internal space in the autoclave. This unused space may add to operating costs since more-than-required time and energy are required to heat up and pressurize the autoclave, compared to that for an autoclave that is “right-sized” for the part.
Accordingly, there is a need for an autoclave having a size and shape that can be tailored to substantially match that of the part to be processed, thereby minimizing the containment volume in order to reduce capital and/or operating costs while increasing processing efficiency. There is also a need for a low volume autoclave that can be configured to match elongated parts of arbitrary shapes with portions particularly adapted to suit the particular part.